EXCLUSIVE: Sadiq Khan spent more than £2million on a race and gender scheme while City Hall warned staff of possible job cuts.
Sadiq spent more than £2m on a race and gender scheme. (Image: Getty)
SADIQ KHAN spent more than £2million of taxpayers’ money on a ‘Workforce Integration Network’ promoting race and gender initiatives, while warning City Hall employees that redundancies may be needed due to funding constraints. Documents released to the Daily Express through a Freedom of Information Request (FOI) revealed that City Hall allocated millions to the network since it launched in an attempt to get more ethnic minorities into the workforce.
The program is understood to still be ongoing, even as City Hall staff were emailed this week to say job losses could not be ruled out, as London’s finances face mounting pressure. Critics said the revelation shows Mayor Khan’s “upside down priorities” at a time when Londoners are being hit by record transport costs, soaring council tax, and rising violent crime.
Gareth Bacon, the Shadow London Minister said that “Londoners will be astonished that while the Mayor hikes council tax and squeezes household budgets, he’s found millions of pounds to spend on yet another City Hall vanity project.
“Nobody disputes the importance of helping people into work, but taxpayers expect fairness and value for money. Every penny Khan spends like this is a penny not going into policing, transport, or the basics Londoners pay for.
“Khan’s priorities are completely upside down. London needs a Mayor who delivers results, not slogans.”
The Workforce Integration Network is intended by city hall to help Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Londoners overcome “disproportionate barriers in the labour market”.
But taxpayer campaigners have branded it “politically motivated box-ticking” that delivers no value to residents.
Callum McGoldrick, investigations campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Londoners will be furious that Sadiq Khan is splashing millions of pounds on divisive race and gender schemes while crime rises and transport costs soar.
“Taxpayers expect the Mayor to focus on creating opportunities for everyone, not picking winners based on identity.
“This kind of politically motivated box-ticking does nothing to help London’s economy and needs scrapping.”
The revelation comes just weeks after the Met police were forced to close front counters, and announced they could axe officers after facing a £260million funding shortfall.
Building a “safer, faired and more prosperous London for everyone” was a key focus of the Mayor, said his spokesperson. They added: “That includes providing record investment in the police, starting a record number of affordable homes and delivering free school meals to all state primary schools in London, as well as supporting programmes like the Workforce Integration Network that help Londoners get into work and grow our economy. Supporting more Londoners from under-represented groups in London’s labour market could bring 290,000 more Londoners into work and unlock £17.4bn in economic benefit.”
